Government Official States Ministry of Defence Looking at Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Advised to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
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 technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
