An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
