An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
