A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones 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 to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
