An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
