An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
