An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
