An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
