A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.