An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to communication practices.
