A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
