A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
