An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
