An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
