An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
