A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
