A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
