An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary 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 regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
