A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
