A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
