A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
