An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
