An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
