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An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.

Safety Advice for Defence Personnel

During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.

He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.

We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.

However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.

When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Broader Defence Background

The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.