Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.