A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
