A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
