An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have 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 car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
