A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
