A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
