An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have 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 vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
