A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
