An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
