An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
