Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
