An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
