An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
