A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
