An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
