A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable 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’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
