A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
