An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted 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 public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
