An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet 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, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
