An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
