Minister States MoD Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Staff Advised to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
