A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable 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 replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
