A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
