Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.
A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
