A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
