A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
