A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens 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 car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
