An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However 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 vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
