A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
