Government Official Says MoD Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is âinvestigatingâ Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if youâre traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: âThatâs exactly what weâre investigating at the present time.â
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a âextremely riskyâ action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
