Minister States MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
