Minister States Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Staff Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
