An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
