An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for 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 to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
