A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
