An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent 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 staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
