An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
