An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
