An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China 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 classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
