A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if 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 technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
