A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
