A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired 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 vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car 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 classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
