Minister Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
