An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
