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A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.

Security Guidance for MoD Staff

During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.

He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.

We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.

But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.

When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Defence Context

The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.

This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.