A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China 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 classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
