A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
