An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
