A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
