An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
