An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
