An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
