Minister Confirms MoD Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Staff Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
