Government Official Says MoD Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Instructed to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
