Minister Confirms MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Instructed to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
