A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
