A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
