An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
