A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
