Government Official Says MoD Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Staff Advised to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.