Minister States MoD Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Staff Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
