Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.