A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
