Minister Says MoD Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
