An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
