A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
