An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
