A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
