An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
