A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
