A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
