🔗 Share this article

An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.

Security Guidance for Defence Staff

During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.

He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.

We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.

However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”

Broader Security Background

This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.

The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.