A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
