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An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.

Security Guidance for MoD Personnel

During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.

He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.

We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars 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 car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.

After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”

Wider Security Context

The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.

This broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.