A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
