A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
