A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned 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 is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
