An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
