An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
