A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
