An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
