An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
