An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses 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 defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
