Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Staff Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
