Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Staff Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
