A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
