An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
