Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Staff Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
