An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
