An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him 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 Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.