A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
