A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
