A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.