A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The 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 China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
