A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
