A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
