An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible 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 responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
