An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
