A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims 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 switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
