A defense official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
