A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
