A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
