A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
