Minister States Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Staff Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
