A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent 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 people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
