An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
