An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
