An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
