A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.