An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
