Minister States Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Staff Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.

An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.

Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel

During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.

The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.

However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Wider Security Background

The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.

The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.