A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
