A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
