A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
