A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if 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 car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
