An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
