A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
