A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
