Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Staff Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport use to communication practices.
