An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
