A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
