A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
