A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When 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 are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
