A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
