Government Official Says MoD Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
