A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
