An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
