An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested 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.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.