A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent 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 staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
