An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
