Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Instructed to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
