An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
