An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
