A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on 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 “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
