Government Official States Ministry of Defence Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
