A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence 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 material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
