A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
