A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
