A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
