A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
