A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
