A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
