An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
