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An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.

Safety Advice for MoD Staff

During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.

The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.

Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones 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 to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.

After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Defence Background

This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.

This wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.