A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
