A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
