An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims 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 “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
