An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
