An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
