A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
