An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
