A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
