An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
