An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
