An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
