A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
