An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
