A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
