A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
