An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
