A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone 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 responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
