An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
