Minister States MoD Examining Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
