A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
