A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
