A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
