A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
