A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations 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 prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
