A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
