An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
