Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Advised to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
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 MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
