An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
