A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
