Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
