An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
