A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
