An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence 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 Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
