🔗 Share this article

An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.

Security Advice for Defence Personnel

During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.

He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.

But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.

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

Wider Security Context

This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.

The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.