Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Examining Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Staff Instructed to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
