A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
