Minister Confirms MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Staff Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
