Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
