An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
