An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
