An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
