A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
