A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
