Minister States MoD Investigating Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
