Minister States MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Staff Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
