An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
