A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
