An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
