An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving 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 secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
