An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
