A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
