A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
