A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether 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, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
