A defense official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
