A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
