An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
