An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
