An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
