An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
