An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
