An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
