An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When 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 Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
