Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
