Government Official States Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
