A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
