Government Official Says MoD Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Instructed to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
