Government Official States MoD Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Staff Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
