An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
