A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
