A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
