A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.