An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
