Minister States Ministry of Defence Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones 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 to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
