Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
