A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
