A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
