A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But 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 classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
