An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether 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, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
