A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
