A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
