Minister Says MoD Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Staff Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence 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 people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
