A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
