A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
