An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
