A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
