A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
