A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
