Minister Says MoD Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
