Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Staff Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
