Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has 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 traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
