An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
