An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However 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 MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
