An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
