Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Staff Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
