A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
