An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
