A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have 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 driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
