Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Staff Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
