A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
