A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
