A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
