An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
