An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
