An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
