A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in 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 car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
