A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
