A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving 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 conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
