A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
