A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
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 MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him 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.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
