A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
