An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
