An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
