Minister Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
