🔗 Share this article

An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.

Security Advice for MoD Staff

During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.

He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.

Our department has a collection of thousands of cars 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, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.