A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have 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 traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential 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 cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
