A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
