Government Official Says MoD Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Staff Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
