A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
