A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
