Defence chiefs order grounding of China’s DJI drones pending six-month security audit

Defence chiefs order formal grounding of Chinese-made drones pending six-month security audit, says DJI systems must “remain de-energised until further notice’’.

Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Defence has suspended the use of drones and all other products manufactured by controversial Chinese company DJI while a six-month audit of high-risk technology takes place.

Defence Department secretary Greg Moriarty and Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell on Friday signed a cessation order suspending the use of all Da Jiang Innovations products pending completion of a security audit.

The signing of the order comes three weeks after a verbal direction from General Campbell and a formal order issued by the army to halt the use of products manufactured and supplied by DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer.

It comes after The Australian revealed Defence was using hundreds of DJI drones, and planned to use them in upcoming military exercises, despite the company being black-listed by the US over perceived links to the Chinese military.

Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty ordered drones made by Chinese company DJI to be grounded. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

‘‘Defence are to cease using all DJI COTS/MOTS products and technology pending completion of a security review,’’ the cessation order reads, referring to commercial off-the-shelf and modified off-the-shelf technologies.

“DJI Systems and equipment are to remain de-energised until further notice. Defence elements needing to operate DJI products and technology for operational and/or safety essential purposes only are to advise.”

Defence first suspended the use of DJI products in 2017, but brought them back on line following a quick two-week review.

After revelations that Defence was using DJI products along with surveillance cameras and other electronic equipment made by Hikvision and Dahua – two other Chinese companies black-listed by the US – Defence Minister Richard Marles ordered the department to undertake a six-month audit of all of its technology.

Mr Marles’ office declined to comment, but last month a spokesperson said “we want to be sure our current procurement policies and practices are fit for purpose, specifically for those products and devices that are currently in use within Defence and the ADF”.

“Where there are concerns identified in the audit, those devices or products will be removed,” the spokesperson said.

The Hikvision and Dahua devices have already been removed from Defence properties.

The government has also quietly stripped around 1000 of the devices from government properties across Australia, including 88 in federal parliamentarians’ electorate offices.

Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok has also been banned from government devices due to data-harvesting fears.

While Chinese technology is affordable and widely used, the strained relationships between Western democracies and Beijing have made the use of Chinese tech in sensitive settings such as ­Defence sites increasingly problematic.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is considering whether a ­formal ban on Hikvision and Dahua is necessary across government. The US has banned a ­number of companies from involvement in government work, putting pressure on the Five Eyes intelligence partners to follow Washington’s example.

As well as suspected links to the People’s Liberation Army, there are concerns Hikvision, Dahua and DJI are involved in the mass surveillance of the oppressed Uighur people in Xinjiang province.

All Chinese companies headquartered in China are subject to the 2017 national security laws, which require any company to hand over data at the request of Chinese intelligence agencies.