A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
