An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
