A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
