Government Official Confirms MoD Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
