An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
