An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
