An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
