An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
