An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
