An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent 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 not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement 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 the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
