An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.