An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
