Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Examining Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Instructed to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However 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 devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
