An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
