A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
