An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD 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 people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
