An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested 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 present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
