An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
