An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in 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 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 secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
