A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
