A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
