An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
