A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone 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 replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
