A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested 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 moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
