An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
