A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
