An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all 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 driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks 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 prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
