Government Official Says MoD Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Staff Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to communication practices.
