A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.