An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
