A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
