An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However 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 Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
