An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
