A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, 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 car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
