A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
