An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on 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 “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
