A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
