A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
