A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
