An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
