Government Official Confirms MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Advised to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
