An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
