An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
