A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
