Minister States MoD Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Staff Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned 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.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
