A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
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 car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
