An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet 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 non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries 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 cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
