A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. 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 exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
