A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
