A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
