An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
