An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
