A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
