An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
