An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
