Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Staff Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks 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 all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
