An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
