An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
