Government Official States MoD Examining Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Staff Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
