A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars 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, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
