A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
