An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
