A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving 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 classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
