An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
