A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
