An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
