An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones 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 staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
