A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
