A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
