A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
