An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
