A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for 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 MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
