An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
