An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
