Minister Confirms MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.

An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.

Safety Advice for MoD Personnel

During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.

The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.

Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.

But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”

Broader Security Context

The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.

The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.