Government Official Confirms MoD Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
