A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
