An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
