An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
