An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
