Minister States Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
