An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles 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 technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
