An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
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 moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
