An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
