A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
