An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
