An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car 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 discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
