Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Staff Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.