An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
