Minister Confirms MoD Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Staff Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
