An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
