An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
