A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
