An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
