An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
