Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Advised to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
