An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification 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 prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
