A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
