A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
