A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted 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 bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
