An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.