A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
