A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
