An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
