An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
