A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
