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An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.

Security Advice for Defence Staff

During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.

He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.

However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.

After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Broader Defence Background

This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.

Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.

This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.