An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
