Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Examining Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Staff Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent 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 car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.