An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks 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 prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
