An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
