A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
