An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
