An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
