Minister Says MoD Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Instructed to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
