An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
