An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
