A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
