Minister Says Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Staff Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have 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 driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.