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A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.

Safety Advice for Defence Staff

In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.

He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.

Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.

But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”

Wider Defence Background

The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.

This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.