An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
