An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
