A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue 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.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement 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 enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
