A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
