An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars 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, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
