A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent 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 devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
