An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
