An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
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’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
