A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
