A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
