A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection 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, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
