An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
