An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
