A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
