A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
