Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Advised to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
