An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
