A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
