An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
