A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
