An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
