An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
