An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.