Government Official States MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions habits.