An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
