A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
