An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of 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 anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
