An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
