An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
