An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After 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 are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
