An defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
