A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car 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 classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
