A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
