A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
