A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
