An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
