A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
