Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
