A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport use to communication habits.
