An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens 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 vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
