An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
