An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
