A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
