A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
