An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD 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 are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
