An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
