An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
