An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
