A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When 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’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
