An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
