An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
