An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
