A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
