A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
