A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
