A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
