A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars 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 car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
