Government Official Confirms MoD Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Staff Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.

An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.

Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel

In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.

The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.

We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.

But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.

After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

The broader security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.