An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s 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 responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
