A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
