An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
