An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
