An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
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 material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
