An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
