An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
