An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
