A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance 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.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
