An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
