A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
