Government Official Says MoD Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Instructed to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
