An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
