An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
