A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
