A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
