A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
