A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
