An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
