A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
