An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
