A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving 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 discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
