A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
