Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Advised to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
