An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
