A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.