A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
