A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles 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 non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
