A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
