A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
