An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
