An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
