A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks 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 wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
