A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
