Government Official States Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Staff Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
