A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
