An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested 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 Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
