An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
