A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
