An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
