A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
