An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
