An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
