An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” 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 Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
