An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
