A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
